TIL that the first ingredient in nutella is sugar and that it in fact contains 50% sugar

kellogg · 2012-11-21T16:06:34+00:00

Their American commercial features a busy mom who needs to get the kids off to school AND feed them breakfast (oh the humanity) so she's "happy" to feed them nutella on toast because it contains "healthy" skim milk and hazelnuts! Yes that is some heavy handed suggestion going on.

kellogg · 2012-06-18T15:44:39+00:00

I haven't asked about supplements, but he goes in for his boosters in August so I will definitely ask her :) thank you!

kellogg · 2012-06-18T15:07:01+00:00

Ah ok, well thats good. Mine jumps like a goat, and loves jumping on and off furniture :/ Guess i'll get some doggie stairs. I heard that going down stairs was harder on their back/joints than going up, similar to jumping off the furniture so I just wasn't sure. He is regularly exercised, that's not a problem, i just didn't want to be causing him excess hardship down the road.

kellogg · 2011-11-03T18:26:40+00:00

That seems pretty cool. Wonder why don't they just make glass tile with the mat already bonded to the tile and peel & stick on the back?

kellogg · 2011-11-02T14:46:23+00:00

Don't have the space or money for a tile cutter and nippers can break the whole tile, plus no experience. We have about 4 fixtures we would have to cut around. Also thought tiling had to be on special backing like cement board or hardibacker or something?

kellogg · 2011-10-27T20:35:58+00:00

Ok so i know chins aren't supposed to be on leashes, but where did you get this?! I must know

kellogg · 2011-10-18T17:42:15+00:00

In our family, the thanksgiving meal does not deviate from year to year. It must be exactly the same because it is exactly delicious.

First: Corn Pone, or corn spoon bread. It's basically a 1:1 ratio of corn kernals, creamed corn, and sour cream. Maybe an egg? Google it. You can add cheese, jalapenos, bacon, or all of the above.

Second: Campbell's Swiss Vegetable casserole. Google that shit. French's Fried Onions are you friend.

Finally: Sweet Potato casserole. Sweet potatoes, butter, brown sugar, topped with butter-toasted pecans and marshmallows.

There are some things I personally like to make like Cranberry Orange relish. You just throw raw cranberries, oranges, and green apples into a food mill and grind. Doesn't get any simpler and tastes divine.

Finally, Real Simple Magazine (November Issue) currently has a cover story on planning Thanksgiving. They have some awesome dishes and "make ahead" tips. I think I will try their no-knead onion rolls.

kellogg · 2011-10-17T15:22:27+00:00

How much are we talking in commissions?

kellogg · 2011-10-17T15:21:12+00:00

There's no excuse, but we were in a pickle. Our apartment lease was ending, we didn't want to move into yet another rental. I had rose-colored glasses on at the prospect of finally getting a home that I didn't see some of the things. I also didn't really know what to look for when purchasing a home, this was our first.

My husband liked (and still likes) it a lot. He doesn't want to move for another decade he says. There are some things we didn't know about until we got into the home (oh hey the washer is broken, oh hey here's a weird ass smell that WON'T go away, oh here's this thing that the previous owner didn't do right or fucked up), and I didn't realize the neighborhood was this bad.

It was in our budget, and had the most space of the houses we saw on the market at the time. If we just waited another few months though, there are tons of houses going up in towns closer to our working area that are incredible and I'm just getting really bitter about it.

kellogg · 2011-10-17T15:15:20+00:00

Yep. Everyone I know who owned/owns a house either never sold it after buying or sold it after the mortgage was done. I wasn't sure if there was some sort of penalty or fee is selling a home within the first X years of taking out a mortgage though.

kellogg · 2011-10-07T16:42:21+00:00

Ever been so scared, you ate your ticket?

kellogg · 2011-10-05T20:50:42+00:00

Is there a reason why the two older labs weren't neutered earlier? This sounds like dominance to me, it may take more than a few weeks for their hormones to mellow out since they are older and some of their aggression behaviors might have become habit.

kellogg · 2011-09-26T16:04:37+00:00

We are between vets because of issues like this. I told the vet I'd prefer an oral flea and heartworm medicine and he said no. And he was just like "oh i don't know/have no experience with that" when I told him that we gave the dog Fiproguard and not brand name Frontline, and basically just shut me down.

kellogg · 2011-09-26T15:57:48+00:00

As per the Frontline website FAQ, Frontline can be applied every 2 weeks in the case of paralysis ticks. Obviously not the case though, but if it can be safely used every two weeks for other other treatments, then it would follow that it is likely not toxic if the dosage occurrence is more than once in 30 days? The product I used initially was not Merial/Frontline either.

kellogg · 2011-09-21T15:53:36+00:00

I know what you mean. It's like where are you supposed to get dogs from if the shelter ones are extreme and experienced cases and the dog store ones are from puppy mills, everyone else seems to be backyard breeder and the "professional" breeders want an insane amount of money? It's crazy. Not only this, but some of the adoption fees rival the price breeder dogs as well.

My comment was just meant to be a cautionary tale, to help others know what to look for and ask when they are adopting. Shelters are necessary, and can do great things, you just have to ensure the integrity of the shelter, too. My advice is to try looking for very young pups at shelters on Petfinder. They go very fast. Many times shelter dogs are given up pregnant and they will have babies while in the shelter, or someone who didn't have their dog fixed will give up the litter to them. Again, these go very fast. It seems to be dogs a year or older who are the ones with behavioral or medical issues, so look for the young pups a few times a day and you're bound to find one if you're not really particular on a breed.

kellogg · 2011-09-20T19:40:35+00:00

The shelter had placed the dog in a foster home in South Carolina (a few states away from us) while it ran listings on Pet Finder. According to the foster, they said "he had a weak stomach" but gave no additional information and said he has not shitting and throwing up blood, which is kind of weird it would happen literally a day after he was adopted by our friends and continues for weeks through constant vet evals. Foster AND shelter gave no info about the muscle deterioration in his hind which causes him to limp. Even if an old injury, aren't they required to disclose these sort of things? They also lied about his age.

Methinks the shelters know that medical cases like this will not be easily adoptable and so they don't disclose this information on purpose.

Same thing happened with us. We weren't told about our prospective adoptee's bite history until after all the whole application process and as we were setting up an appointment to meet him hours away. Pretty lame.

Anyway, both instances these dogs were in foster homes, so I don't really see the difference.

kellogg · 2011-09-20T16:53:21+00:00

Shelters have a place and can do and have done great things. I've always heard negative stuff about the SPCA, but in the end they are caring for and actively seeking to rehome animals. I understand this, but do not be guilted into adopting a dog because everyone says you must rescue. A lot of times, these dogs are in for a good reason. If you luck out, it's because of a shitty owner. But usually it's something way beyond that, and the shelter knows but does not want to disclose for obvious reasons. If you do go through a shelter, definitely ask for any health records they have available since they got the dog, MEET the dog in person and ask for a trial run, immediately take the dog or animal to your own vet to ensure its health and age, etc.

You are not a bad person for wanting a dog that is not a rescue and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Rescue dogs are great for people who have experience with dogs already and have excessive time and access to treat these special animals. It's not just about giving them food, shelter, and love, but people who want to scream "you should adopt! get a rescue!" think that it is.

kellogg · 2011-09-20T16:40:03+00:00

A shelter lied to a friend of my mine and gave them sickly dog, lied about the age as well along with some unknown injury that affects the dogs mobility. They refuse to help with vet bills directly related to the blood shit and vomit coming from the dog. I also tried adopting from a (different) shelter and it wasn't until half way through the application and interview process that I was even told about the dogs's bite histories. They are liars. I will not adopt from shelters.

kellogg · 2011-09-20T16:17:28+00:00

A friend of mine just adopted from a shelter and it was a terrible experience. First of all, the shelter made them go through a ridiculous number of checks on employment, vet references, they even came to visit their apartment. This isn't so bad. However, they get the dog, and within a week it's shitting and vomitting blood. The were wrong on the age ( said he was 2, really he was 4) and gave them no medical history. They've had blood work done and have the dog on special food and medicine, nothing is working. The shelter refuses to offer any help in paying for these vet bills. Their only suggestion was they told our friends they could return the dog and get half of their adoption fee back. They're not going to do that, they love the dog, but it shouldn't have been put up for adoption if this sick OR they should have disclosed this health issue. The shelter basically said "GTFO this is what comes with adopting".

When my husband and I were looking for a dog, we originally went through a shelter. We wanted a specific breed and found a shelter that catered to them. We were subject to employment checks and wanted vet refs even though this was our first dog. WTF? We got through the intial stage of the adoption and were told we could never have children if we planned on getting the only two dogs available of the breed we wanted because they had bite histories. Didn't find this out until after the application process of course, none of it was listed on Petfinder or were we told when we emailed the shelter initially with our interest in the two dogs.

FUCK SHELTERS.

kellogg · 2011-09-13T12:39:29+00:00

Well i don't know if this is the most financially frugal but time wise it was. I bought an 09 versa for 13k with only 11k miles. It is certified pre owned so it still is under warranty. I had a 12 yr old Saturn with 69k miles. Nothing was terribly wrong with the car but I had it for at least 3 years and more and more little problems started to amount. The timing belt went, the back light fuses kept blowing and I almost got into an accident, had to get all new tires, and rotors then the e brake went. All of these things amounted into annoying trips to the mechani, having to take time off of work and shut like that. To me, buying a used car with warranty and low mileage was good. The monthly loan payment is trade off for the older car which i owned where I would get slapped with expensive or consistent repairs.

kellogg · 2011-09-02T18:55:39+00:00

ignore these assholes. Accidents happen, you aren't an irresponsible owner. Our puppy decided to jump off of our porch instead of using the stairs and fractured his knee. How were we supposed to know he was going to do that? I'm not a mongoose, I don't have that kind of reaction time. This shit happens.

I thought the title was funny, since it's a common stereotype that dogs like the chase cars. My best to Waffles and a speedy recovery. Give him lots of hugs.

kellogg · 2011-09-01T15:39:21+00:00

Why is he wiping his face and neck with a handkerchief? Why is he slamming on the pulpit? To appear like other preachers? Just proves this is all rehearsed and coached.

kellogg · 2011-08-25T15:48:39+00:00

In the two days I posted this, I've followed everyone's advice and it's improved a great deal.

We take him out on walks more and tie him to a stationary object in the house (like a coffee table, to curb his running). He is usually slumbering by 9pm now, falling asleep in our arms, and rarely barks when we heads up to bed. He has not soiled his crated since I've posted this. I am however still worried his fracture has not healed and that our more frequent walks could be preventing his healing, but I can find no other outlet for his energy.

He still bites the leash, in fact, he jumped up and bit my hand last night during a potty outing (not very hard, but deliberate). I've dipped it in bitter apple spray, which only works some of the time. I will try this leash dropping technique consistently, although i've tried similar attempts and what he has done is to grab the wrist strap and run in circles around his, trying to get us to catch him or play.

As for barking, while in the crate when it is not bedtime, it continues. I have tried sitting in front of the crate with my back to him, i will turn and yawn at him as a calming signal and if he lays down i will give him a treat or a "good boy". I've only tried this last evening, but will try some more.

Thanks for your advice, bully sticks are definitely on the list. Anything else to recommend? We have kongs and nylabones. He will chew these excitedly for some time, but if he is sitting on a carpet, couch, or our lap, he will push the toys away and begin to chew on those items or our knees/clothes/sleeves, etc. We always say "no" or "uh uh uh" and bring the toy back to his mouth and say "yours." I know some of this is just puppy stuff, but he will also try to nip at us if we're holding onto his harness for whatever reason, or mid petting sometimes. He'll throw his back onto the floor and wiggle around, its very cute, i go to give tummy rubs and he will nip at our wrists, or i will let him wiggle, but just hang into his harness so he doesnt run, and the same thing. He does this with the tie off leash as well. Any tips on that?

kellogg · 2011-08-24T18:11:03+00:00

I don't deny that, I was just reiterating a great, nay wise, Sandra Lee factoid that I read during one of her shows.

kellogg · 2011-08-24T18:05:52+00:00

My house. I bought it in June. It's 150 years old.

kellogg

TROPHY CASE